


Inseparable

by TheShy1sOut



Category: Trolls (Movies 2016 2020), Trolls World Tour, Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon), Trolls: TrollsTopia (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I don't know if you need trolls mythology, It's a one big Fluff, Mythology - Freeform, Trolls Mythology, Trolls Mythology AU, but i needed it a lot, fluff and nothing else, only fluff, so I made it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:46:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29019918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShy1sOut/pseuds/TheShy1sOut
Summary: - There's the guardian of the Night, but no one takes care of the Day - Peppy, the God of Friendship and Harmony, King of the Gods, looks around the big hall to get everyone's attention. Gods listen to him as always, carefully and with huge respect they have to their master. He catches even Branch's attention this time. - I summoned you to discuss this very important topic. - King Peppy raises his hand and turns to the beautiful pink lady in the bright blue dress. - My daughter becomes a full goddess today. And it would be an honor if you all agree that she is a good person to take care of the Day, which means holding the Staff and looking after the whole living world under its Light.
Relationships: Branch & Queen Poppy (Trolls), Branch/Queen Poppy (Trolls)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna post one chapter every Sunday. I hope I can do this xd

Far, far ago, when the gods walked through the Earth and love didn't exist yet, trolls were like other creatures in the world. They didn't have the awareness, free will, or feelings deeper than the animals have. The only difference between them and critters was some kind of civilization. They worked, played, and bred during the day and rested during the night. They built villages and formed families and communities. But all the things they made were the result of the intervention of gods [divine intervention], who wanted the best for their creatures. Immortals taught trolls all about working, having fun, building villages, and playing music, but trolls couldn't create things on their own. And no one saw anything wrong with that, because nobody knew it could be different.

Day passed by day and nothing has changed. Whenever it's time to rest, Branch, the god of the Night, walks on the highest hill and grabs the Staff Of The Light, making the gold shining Sphere on it glow much less bright than during the Day. In Branch's hand, a magic source of light that trolls call "the sun" beams slightly bright blue. The whole world meets the darkness and the silence; every creature on the Earth can do nothing but sleep and rest. When the day is supposed to be started, the God of the Night walks on the highest hill again to dig the Staff Of The Light on the top, and freeing it from his cold hands puts brightness on the whole world. 

\- There's the guardian of the Night, but no one takes care of the Day - Peppy, the God of Friendship and Harmony, King of the Gods, looks around the big hall to get everyone's attention. Gods listen to him as always, carefully and with huge respect they have to their master. He catches even Branch's attention this time. - I summoned you to discuss this very important topic. - King Peppy raises his hand and turns to the beautiful pink lady in the bright blue dress. - My daughter becomes a full goddess today. And it would be an honor if you all agree that she is a good person to take care of the Day, which means holding the Staff and looking after the whole living world under its Light.

Everyone's eyes lay on the young pink-haired woman, who stepped shyly onto the middle of the Hall of Parley. She takes a deep breath and smiles, mostly to reassure herself. But when she notices friendly smiles appearing on more and more gods' faces, she feels kind of proud and excited.

-My King, I think there's nothing to discuss - Holly, goddess of Hospitality, points out. - If there's someone who fits perfectly for this job, it is Poppy for sure!

\- Hell yea! - Barb, Queen of the Underworld, yells. She always finds a reason to yell.

\- I'm not that sure - Delta Dawn, the goddess of Justice, adds. - Isn't that too much for someone that young? 

\- Poppy, tell us - Quincy, the god of Wisdom, turns to the pink little lady in the center. - How would you feel about that responsibility? Isn't that too overwhelming for you?

\- It is, I guess... - Poppy starts, looking down. - But I have been watching trolls and other creatures since I was a child and... I really attach to them. I enjoy making them happy more than anything else in the world and if you give me your trust, then I'll do everything to protect them and give them all I can. 

She ends with full confidence and when she looks up again, she sees all the gods smiling at her, nodding. Cooper, the god of Fun, starts applauding with joy and everyone slowly stands up and joins in. Besides one person... But Poppy quickly forgets that, cause the low tone of her dad's voice catches her attention.

\- So that's it! - King announces, also standing up. - I have my honor to introduce our new Immortal: Poppy, the goddess of the Day and the Light!

Gods and goddesses start yelling and cheering. Poppy doesn't even notice when she ends up surrounded by them. They all grin and laugh, wishing her the best and congratulating her over and over. She's never got so much attention, it's even a bit overwhelming. But in this crowd of Immortals, one wish sounds a bit different than the other.

\- I appreciate you. Good Teamwork!

Poppy turns to the dull face of Barb. Queen of the Underworld doesn't look like she's joking.

\- Teamwork! - Pink girl tries to play amused. - With whom?

\- Don't ya know! - Barb laughs at her and throws her hand at the corner of the hall. - Him.

Poppy lifts her head to look above her arm. Far from talks and laughs, there's the guy with a grey hoodie on his head, all covered by a long, dark capote. His face isn't visible, but for some reason, Poppy is sure that he isn't looking at any particular thing. He is just here, sitting very still on his god's seat. As if his presence here was enough to call him a part of the event.

\- Branch. The god of The Night - Barb accents the word 'god'. - The guardian of the Darkness and the Silence. And the most important for ya: the one holding The Staff of the Light. - Goddess shows her teeth in a kinda creepy way. - Just like you.

\- He's um... - Poppy now has so many questions, that she doesn't know from which she should start.

\- You'll get to know him - The pink-haired girl feels a hard hit on her back. - Don't worry, I'm just playing with ya! It's just holding some dum' stick! You give it to him in the evening and then he gives it to you back in the morning. Easy!

\- But why is he...

\- Nobody knows, he's just different! - Poppy is interrupted once again by the energetic Underworld's Queen. - To be honest, I don't even know how he looks like.

\- He's never shown his face?! 

\- No... I just don't remember. But that's enough about this grump, let's talk about a much funnier thing on the Earth! Or should I say: Under the Earth!

Poppy already feels a bit overwhelmed by the goddess energy. All she really wants right now is to talk with her father and start her job. But she thinks, if she was waiting for it whole years, then she can hold a few minutes more. Right?

\- What do you mean? - She asks, not even hiding her tiring.

\- Girl, you'll see, nights will be so boring for ya there - Barb starts a bit less loudly and less throwing-her-arms-and-legs-everywhere-ly. - Underworld is always welcoming ya. There's a wild, loud party nonstop!

\- What's a party?

\- You'll see - Barb smirks at her and finally starts moving away from her. - The total opposite of boredom.

\- Ok, thanks - Poppy waves at her, trying to smile as wide as she can. - See ya later! ...I guess...

After way too many wishes, pieces of advice, and cheers, after another long talk with her father, after a million little things she has to go through, Poppy finally steps on the hill and faces the Staff of the Light. Don't get her wrong, normally she really enjoys hanging out with others. Well, she was mostly spending time with King Peppy or trolls on the Earth until now. She feels like she should have taken this opportunity of talking with every single Immortal much more than she did. But she was looking for this little moment almost her entire life. She couldn't think about anything but standing here, on the hill, in front of the Staff of the Light and grabbing all of her dreams, the role of her life, her vocation, her...

\- You're gonna grab it or not?

Poppy blinks, surprised. She looks around just to notice a silhouette darker than the Darkness itself. She needs a minute to realize who is he. The god of the Night. Of course, he's here. It's his job to be here. It is still the Night after all. But she is a bit upset at him for destroying the magic of the moment.

So once again Poppy glances at the Staff of the Light, takes a really big breath and... She grabs it! And with her very first touch, the sphere on the top explodes with gold light and the whole world is being filled with so many beautiful colors and Poppy has never been happier in her entire life. Even a dry "So see ya later I guess" by Branch can't destroy it. Ah! She is so happy! She runs down the hill with the Staff glowing in her hand, laughing so loud and so long, till her cheeks start to ache and she loses her voice, but even then she is so happy. So happy.

After one day, and then another, and then one more, and then the whole week of enjoying this exhaustingly happy moment in her life, it comes the time to grab the Staff seriously. Poppy knows exactly what she wants and how the perfect Day should look like. She has planned it for years! So the first thing she changes is the start and the end of the Day. She adds so many colors to the sky: pinks, oranges, reds, and yellows. She asks Suki, the goddess of the Music, to make melodies for birds to let them greet every Day's beginnings and ending. With Milton, the god of the Critters, she teaches birds to sing them. She designs with Satin and Chenille, the twin goddesses of Beauty, new kinds of flowers. Every Day she runs through the whole Earth creating new things, changing the old ones, adding colors and light everywhere it is possible.

Until one Day she finishes all of her ideas and she can finally make the last point of her plan: enjoying the brand-new happy world she created.

But after a week of just guarding the Day and taking care of the Light Poppy feels there's something wrong. She has missed something. She is lost in her thoughts, trying to find the missed thing, when she walks on the hill, like every evening. She hears peaceful "Good evening" and feels it when somebody's hand takes the Staff of the Light off her. Poppy blinks like she's just woken up, but before she can answer, Branch throws "Good Night" and walks away.

''Oh. So that is the thing." Poppy thinks, ashamed.

It's been half of the year since her pink hands grabbed the Staff for the first time. The goddess was too busy with her big plans to even notice the Night. After giving back the Staff, barely even noticing Branch, she just falls asleep. She always finds sleeping the most boring thing ever, cause it's just laying down and closing your eyes to open them a few hours later. But although Immortals don't need to sleep, after a whole day of running and creating she was just exhausted.

And now Poppy realizes that the god of the Night was greeting her every morning and every evening and she has never answered him. It isn't even rude or mean, it is a complete disaster! Poppy as a daughter of King Peppy, the god of Friendship and Harmony, should be the one making friendships and building harmony, not ignoring people!

She has to fix that now.


	2. Chapter 2

This night Poppy doesn't sleep at all. When it is the time, she jumps from the tree she's been sitting on and runs to the hill. She beams at Branch when he only shows up.

\- Good morning! - Pink young lady says with all of her kindness, brightness, and sweetness.

\- Good morning? - The god of the Night answers after a while of hesitation. He shows her the Staff of the Light to let her grab it and start the Day. But instead of that, Poppy asks:

\- How was your Night?

That actually makes Branch really confused, cause he answers in a very unsurely tone:

\- Good. As always.

\- Oh, it's good! - Poppy beams with even more cheerfulness.

\- Are you gonna grab it or will the Day never start? - Now he sounds pretty impatient. 

\- We have a bit of time to talk so why...

Poppy is interrupted by the loud noise of sticking the Staff into the ground, just a few centimeters from her face. She drops her smile and freezes.

\- Have a nice Day - Branch says blankly and steps down the hill. Without his touch, the sphere changes from blue, slightly blurring, to gold, bright shining.

Poppy grabs the Staff, following the long gray capote with her eyes. She can run after him, but it would be a bit pushy. She gulps. It's gonna be much harder than she expected. But she's not gonna give up. Not yet.

So when the Day passed, the pink goddess climbs on the hill and greets the hoodie with another cheerful smile.

\- Good evening - She says politely.

\- Good evening - Branch throws emotionlessly.

\- How was your Day?

\- I was resting in a cave. I hate the Light.

\- Oh - That answer makes Poppy a bit out of tune. - Why though?

\- It's just not my cup of tea - He says and takes his dull hand out of his capote to grab the Staff. - I prefer Darkness. Is that a sufficient answer to your question?

\- Um...

He takes the Staff from her hands, while she is looking at him confused. The sky slowly turns from gold light to empty darkness.

\- Good Night.

And then he just walks away. 

Now it is totally obvious that Branch doesn't want to talk with Poppy. And she finds it absolutely reasonable. She used to ignore him for the whole six months. Six months! And suddenly she wants to talk. Of course he's angry! Of course he doesn't want to talk with her. But the goddess of the Light still has a hope to befriend him. There has to be a way!

So she tries and tries, but the more she tries, the more annoyed Branch sounds, and the sooner he cuts their talks. If the simplest greetings can be called 'talks'. Till one Day he doesn't answer at all. He just grabs the Staff without a single word and the Darkness sharply falls on the world. He turns back and walks away. And this time it is Poppy who gets angry.

\- Hey! - She cries at him. - That was a bit rude, don't you think?

He stops and the goddess hears a loud sigh.

\- You know what? - His voice is so firm like he is trying to hold his emotions. - Let me tell you something. See, the Day is a time for working and the Night is the time for resting. You know that. And they are pretty different. The Night is quiet and dark. The Day is loud and bright. You know that. They are two parts of the cycle. Separated parts. 

With those words, Branch turns to her, and the darkness in his grey hoodie instead of his face is now straightly directed to Poppy. She takes probably the deepest breath in her life and bites the bullet.

\- So, as you can see, there's no single point where I could need you. And there's no single reason why you could need me. We don't work together. We have different duties on different shifts. Whatever you want from me, stop.

Poppy crosses her arms on her chest, looking away. She had no idea that the Silence can be that heavy and overwhelming. And there comes the sound of a few steps and the most painful words she's ever heard.

\- Good Night.

It is the very first time Poppy wants to be alone.

She stands very still a few minutes, maybe an hour, till she starts walking. With an empty mind and hurt heart, she is staring blankly at the cold grass breaking below her feet. It is so weak, so helpless. It grows everywhere, but it can't escape from her pink, huge foot. Poppy stops and touches it slightly, then sits and whips some blades of grass. She looks at them, lying naively on her hand. Two tears fall on them. She feels like a failure.

\- Hey, what's wrong?

The goddess feels a warm hand on her shoulder. The voice is nice and a bit familiar. She gets her eyes up to see probably the most pleasant face among Immortals. Riff, the god of the Death.

Poppy dries her eyes and sniffs. 

\- Can I ask you... What do you think about my work?

Dull god sits down next to her and smiles.

\- You made the Earth a better place. Just like you've always dreamed.

The goddess sniffs again and smiles widely.

\- Thanks. I really needed to hear that.

They stay in the Silence for a while, but this time it is a nice kind of Silence.

\- It's because of Branch, isn't it? - Riff asks calmly.

\- How did you...

\- He's well-known as hard to talk with. But you know... - He gets a bit closer to her like he's gonna tell her some secret. - Just a few know that underneath he's a really nice guy.

Poppy looks at him, surprised.

\- Everything is better underneath, as Barb says - He shrugs his arms playfully, which makes her chuckle. Then he stands up, saying: - Come. I know exactly what will brighten up your Day.

Riff offers her a hand and when she grabs it, she suddenly is in a very different place. There is no sky and grass. The floor and ceiling are made from the ground or stones. She stands on a rise in a kind of unbelievably huge cave. Down the hill in front of her, a massive crowd of souls of trolls jumps, screams, and cheers wildly and happily, making the walls and the floor trembling. The loud music and colorful lights are everywhere. 

Poppy looks around and can't find Riff. He just disappears. But instead of him, she hears another familiar voice.

\- Poppy! - Barb pops out from nowhere. - You came!

\- Yes, I guess I came - The pink goddess has to scream to hear her own words. - What is that?

\- What? This? - Dull skin woman points at the crown. - This is a party in the Underworld, girl! The greatest fun ever! 

\- What is it about? - Poppy asks and for some reason it makes the Queen laugh.

\- Oh, you're nothing but cute - Barb says and pushes her into the crowd. Pink-hair girl finds going through the souls of trolls a bit uncomfortable. But on the other hand, they all look really happy.

\- And now dance and sing! - Barb screams at her.

\- What?

\- I SAID "DANCE AND SING" - Dull goddess yells even louder.

\- I hear that, but how am I supposed to do it in this crowd!

\- Just do it!

Well, Poppy can't fight with this argument. But after a while of awkwardly waving her hands and trying to not hit anyone, she notices that she can't touch the souls. They are permeable and don't mind if she hits them sometimes. So she starts dancing with much more confidence. The beat is so catchy, the music is so loud that she feels it with all of her body. The goddess barely notices when she starts screaming and jumping like others. She even tries to sing although the lyrics are unhearable. She forgets about Branch and the fight. She forgets about her job and the Earth. For a moment she forgets about everything. She has no idea how long she's been here. She's never had so much fun. 

\- Hey, Pinkie!

\- Hum? - The loud voice of the Queen of the Underworld brings Poppy back to reality. She starts looking around and slowly realizing where she is.

\- You can't be here forever! - Barb yells at her, still dancing and smiling. - You have a job!

\- Oh, right - Poppy laughs. It's so loud here that she doesn't hear her laugh. So she screams at Barb louder this time. - I don't know how to go back on the Earth!

The dull-skin goddess facepalms.

\- Sorry, my bad - She probably chuckles, Poppy isn't sure, cause still, all she can hear is the music. - Follow me!

They walk through the dancing crowd like it doesn't exist. The goddess of the Day glares at trolls' souls' faces; they look so happy here, freed from Earth's problems. She bets she could give a bit of this pure joy to living trolls. And then she thinks... that she can!

Barb guides her outside the big partying hall. They go through a massive wooden door and then through a long hall. It gets darker and darker till they step into an endless black hole. It makes Poppy a bit uncomfortable until she notices that she is already on the Earth's surface. It is still quiet Night, but not for long, she has to runs at the hill right now.

But the goddess of the Light can't leave a person without acknowledgment.

\- Thank you, Barb - She says, turning around to her. - It was... - She takes a very big breath to find a word about how amazing was everything she has learned about the parties. - It was the greatest fun I've ever had! I am so grateful that you showed me what the party is. I miss it already!

\- You can come to our parties whenever you want - The Queen chuckles, giving her another friendly hit on the arm. - You are always welcome in the Underworld!

\- Thank you so much! - Poppy beams at her sunshiny like only she can do.

\- No problem, girl! - Barb throws, slowly disappearing into the Darkness. - Run to start the Day!

Poppy giggles happily and grins widely. She starts running. She can't hold all of the enthusiasm that falls on her right now. She can think only about the parties and how she'll start teaching trolls how to make them.

She stops at the hill, panting and smiling. Branch isn't here yet, but she already can see his gray silhouette on the other side of the hill.

\- Branch! - Poppy shouts at him without thinking. - You can't guess what I find out! The party! THE PARTY! The event when many, many trolls meet each other to dance, sing and listen to music and have fun and the lights, oh my good Father, the lights and the colors! Can't you believe something like that exists!

When she stops throwing her arms everywhere she notices that Branch already stands close in front of her with the Staff of the Light blurring slightly in his hand.

\- What are you talking about? - He asks, and she answers maybe a bit too fast:

\- I told you! The party, the music, everything! We have to show it to trolls! They can be as happy as the souls I saw in the Underworld!

\- Oh, the Underworld - He says in a kinda weird way. - Now I know what you mean. The _parties._ \- He sighs and then she hears his tired voice: - Poppy, there's no time for parties in the cycle.

\- No! Hear me out...

\- No - Branch interrupts her firmly. - The Day is for work, the Night is for rest. And trolls need both of them.

\- I also know what trolls need! - Poppy persists. - And they need happiness! Trolls deserve a bit of joy in their life! Not only humming during the work or lullabies for kids to sleep! 

\- But there's no time for more of 'happiness' - He almost spat this word.

\- There must be a way! - She throws her arms up. - For example, I can make trolls resting a few hours during the Day, and with that, they would parting a few hours during the Night...

\- No! - He sounds pretty mad right now. - The Night is Silence! Silence and Peace! No music, no lights...

\- And no fun! - She yells. - Branch, you have to understand...

\- Understand what? - His voice is now cold, sharp, and even harsh. Still not being able to see his face, Poppy can guess after his tone, he is on the edge of his anger. - That I have to _change_ myself because _you_ want a party?

Those words hit her in her face. That wasn't what she said, but she realizes it was exactly what she meant. And it sounds just unfair.

\- Um... - She tries to find new words, but until she does, she hears the familiar noise of sticking the Staff into the hill.

\- No parties during the Night - The god says flatly. - Good. Night.

And he walks away.

But this time she isn't only hurt, but also mad.

Poppy crosses her arms on her chest, chewing an unpleasant taste on her tongue. She is frowning, maybe the first time in her life. She stares at the Staff of the Light with the biggest anger she has ever felt. The sphere is still blurring blue, blurring slightly, even subtle. It looks so calm. But it doesn't look sad or firm. The blur has nothing in common with his grumpy creator. It is happy. So different kind of happy than Poppy saw in the Underworld. It is calm and cheerful. The quiet happiness.

Poppy blinks. Her anger fades, she doesn't notice when. Now the only thing she feels is blue. The words of Riff about Branch are echoing in her head. A nice guy? Even if, he isn't as nice as he could be _to her_. But neither is she. A heavy sigh drops from her nose till she finally gets the Staff. 

She has her job to do. 


	3. Chapter 3

The hill looks so high today. For the first time since Poppy got her deific responsibility, stepping upon it is hard. But she does it without hesitation. She knows she has to. 

The goddess of the Light had enough time to think during the Day. She holds everything she wants to say in her mind, but when she finally faces the god of the Night, the words don't want to come. She even can't look at him. She just shows him the Staff of the Light and let him grab it. In Silence.

Branch stands a few minutes like he's surprised. But then he just turns back and walks away.

\- I'm sorry.

The gray silhouette stops halfway on the hill. He turns to Poppy and she doesn't need to see his face under his hoodie to know he is shocked.

\- I'm sorry - She repeats a bit louder, but still shyly rubbing her elbow. - I just... I was so thrilled when I got my god duties, I was so focused on my plans and... I was so stupid that I was ignoring you this whole six months. It was nothing but selfish. You were greeting me and I barely noticed that... You deserved better. And... I was trying to fix that after I finally noticed it. But I was just so pushy and stubborn to make you my friend. I always thought we could be a great team, you know? - She tries to smiles, but it goes so awkwardly. So she looks down. - I just want to say, it's ok if you hate me or something. I think I deserve that.

Against all of the shame she feels right now, Poppy forces herself to look up to the god. 

\- I'm sorry, Branch.

Surprisedly, he doesn't walk away. He stands very still, staring at her, and making the goddess even more guilty. And then he does something, she didn't expect he would anywhen do.

He takes his hoodie off.

Poppy holds her breath. Branch looks... much different she imagined. She thought he would look old and ugly for some reason. But he has black but nice hair, his eyes are gray but also pretty, and his face isn't frightening, it looks even friendly... So yes, he isn't very different than other Immortals. To be honest, he is _exactly_ like other Immortals. Which means, godly handsome.

But the most surprising is his words.

\- I don't hate you - He says. - I never did. 

And he talks to her with the very same voice that he always uses, but now when he's talking calmer, it sounds much more pleasant, like a quiet lullaby sung before sleep.

\- I'm sorry I was so mean to you - Branch adds, looking down. - I thought that you hate me. I thought you were teasing me last week...

\- I didn't! - Poppy almost jumps.

Branch chuckles.

\- Well, now I know - He smirks only slightly, but it's enough to make Poppy smile at him with pure relief and glee. This tiny smile of his was everything she wanted to see last week. And here it is. She never was so happy seeing such a little lift-up of a corner of someone's mouth. 

\- How could I hate the guy who was greeting me for six months without my answer? - She grins widely. - To be honest, it was the nicest thing someone did for me!

\- You exaggerated a bit - Branch lifts one of his eyebrows.

Poppy giggles. Maybe it wasn't so funny to giggle, but Poppy is so excited with every minute he doesn't walk away. He stays like he doesn't mind putting his duties on the back burner to talk with her a bit. She doesn't want to finish talking. If she starts talking, she wants to talk as long as it's possible, not just a few minutes! If they can talk, she has to take this opportunity and not let it go!

\- Can I go with you tonight? - She throws like an arrow. - Can I see your job?

Branch frowns, pretty confused by the sudden ask.

\- Why? I thought you said it's not fun...

\- Well, I was wrong about many things... - Poppy looks up, smirking. - So maybe this one either? If you like the Night, maybe there is something to like in the Night.

\- Pff, whatever - He huffs, turning around. - But you'll be pretty bored.

\- Sleeping is boring, I do not doubt that - Poppy announces and starts following him.

\- But please, no talk or singing.

\- Oh, come on!

\- Poppy, if you want to hear the Silence, you have to be silent.

She purses her lips and crosses her arms on her chest. But even with that radical rules, she tries to hide how excited she is. It is something new, something big. They spend time together and if it isn't a start of friendship then she doesn't know what it is! Even if it is supposed to be the borest walk she ever does...

But surprisingly, it isn't boring at all. Firstly they walk through meadows and Poppy sees as Branch carefully closes flowers' cups. He touches the water in the lakes and makes them calm. He finds animals and trolls who got lost in the forest or the mountain or just were far from home and were frightened and he reprieves them and helps them find a safe place to sleep. He's walking through the Earth and wherever he steps, there is peace. After a few hours, the Silence is everywhere. And it isn't overwhelmingly boring like Poppy always thought it'd be. It is pleasant, safe, comfy, filled with the hope of a bright Day. She walks after the god of the Night and listens. The sounds, really quiet sounds of the Silence are in the air like the whole world is one huge organism with rustles of the trees, whispers of the water, calm breaths of the hundreds of millions of sleeping creatures. And in that world, you can never be alone, cause you are always a little part of it, part of everything. 

So no, the goddess of the Light isn't bored. She's fascinated. The Night isn't just Silence, Darkness, and staying very still. It looks and sounds and feels so magical, mysterious, otherworldly. Like the Earth, she knows from the Day's light becomes something much different. Beautiful, but it is a different kind of beauty. And Poppy feels she has no words for that.

\- Okay, can you stop already?

Poppy blinks quickly a few times. Is Branch talking to her? Of course, he is, there's not a soul here at this lake. But she did totally nothing but walking quietly after him last few hours. 

\- What? - She asks the only question she can ask right now.

\- What 'what' - Branch looks a bit annoyed. - The sound! You're making it for the last two hours!

The goddess has no idea what he's talking about.

\- What do you mean? Do I step too loud? - She looks down at her foot.

\- No! The sound! The sound you make with your mouth - Branch points at her face. - Or nose. Or throat. I don't know, what is that?

She looks at him really confused.

\- Breathing?

The god groans out. And then she gets it.

\- Oh! You mean this - And she starts humming.

\- Yes! - He beams. - Exactly! What is that?

\- It's humming - Poppy chuckles. - You've never heard it before? It's kinda like... Purring the melody with your throat. - And she hums a bit more to show it out. - Was I humming whole this time? I didn't even notice. Why didn't you tell me earlier?

\- Cause - Branch hesitates a bit. - It wasn't that noisy... Or something... - Sudden he goes all shy for some reason. Then he clears his throat. He cuts the topic with a short "Never mind" and gets down to the water. Then he blows onto the lake surface and makes many little droplets fly away.

\- What did you do? - Poppy asks with curiosity.

\- A dew - Branch gets up, looking as the blurry fog he made slowly fills the horizon. - If the Day starts warmly and it wasn't raining, the ground needs water to not get too dry in the morning.

\- How do you know that I'll start the Day warmly? - Poppy frowns at him.

\- You always do.

It sounds like his mind is somewhere else. And then, the god turns to her and stares at her a while until he asks:

\- So... How was your Night?

Poppy's face fills with a big, sunny smile.

\- It was good! - She beams. - Different than I expected. Much more... Nice and pleasant. Sometimes magically beautiful...

\- Beautiful? - Branch almost gasps.

\- Sooo beautiful! I never thought I could be so fascinated by the Night. - She glances at the horizon dreamily. But then she blinks and crosses her arms on her chest. - But it is still too much Silence. And there's not a single color or light, it's so depressing! And...

\- Okay, I get it! - Branch shows one hand in a peace gesture. - The Night can't be the Day, Poppy!

\- No! - She yells, making him jump in shock. - The Night is beautiful, as I said! But it isn't perfect, and I think there are a few things you would chan...

\- No. - He interrupts her sharply.

In the first moment, she wants to still encourage him. But then she stops herself. She has already learned a lesson about being pushy. A long breath drops from her nose.

\- Okay - Poppy says calmly and sees the lessening of tension on the gray face. Branch turns to the fog he made flowing on the horizon line and sighs slightly. He puts his hoodie on his head to her surprise. She expected that if he put it off once in front of her, he would never use it anymore. But she guesses she was wrong with this one too.

\- It's time - His voice sounds a bit heavy when his gray hand shows her the Staff to grab. Now she realizes the thing. Branch wears a hoodie cause he hates the Light! It's so obvious, but she hasn't got it before. But now it makes some stupid idea in her mind.

\- Come with me! - She beams at him. These three words just freeze the god for a while.

\- What?

\- Come with me! - She repeats as enthusiastic as earlier. - I saw the Night and listened to the Silence. Now I think you should do the same with the Day!

\- I've already seen the Day...

\- But it wasn't my Day! - Poppy smirks at him. - I've changed a lot. Wanna see?

Branch huffs, rolling his eyes.

\- I assure you it won't change my mind.

\- Want a bet? - She takes the Staff from his hand cocksurely. The Light just explodes. 

He doesn't answer, but she bets that under the dark shadow of his hoodie he smirks at her. She really wants to see that. And she wishes it's only a matter of time from now on.

So the goddess of the Light guides him through every treasure of the Day. With the Staff of the Light in her hand, she makes cups of the flowers open, birds sing, trolls and critters wake up, plants grow, fruits ripen, the lost ones find the way. Everything she touches is vivid and ebullient. Poppy shows the god of the Night every change she has made and she's been so proud of. She jumps enthusiastically from thing to thing, the happiness bursts from her smile is almost touchable. And Branch just follows her with his best friend Silence, patiently listening to her endless loose talk and watching how the simplest thing makes the goddess so excited.

At the end of the Day, after putting vibrant colors on the milky sky, she turns to Branch, grinning stupidly with the whole of her face. Her cheeks have never ached because of smiling before. That is the brand new experience she just finds out and it makes her tired of being thrilled about everything.

\- So - She breaths out. - What do you think?

From the shadow of his hoodie, she can't see his face, but he keeps his head upon the sky filled with purples, pinks, reds, and oranges. After a while, he clears his throat and looks down at her.

\- Well, it was too loud and too bright as I said it'll be...

Poppy rolls her eyes with disappointment, but until she can answer he adds:

\- But I like it.

The goddess blinks and opens her mouth with surprise.

\- I mean... - He goes on. - I didn't expect that you've changed a lot of things. When I used to be the only one god taking care of the cycle, the Day was kind of meaningless. The sky was always bright, critters were screaming in chaos - Branch waves his hand to point out fields around him. - There was such chaos, one big mess and... And you've made an order with this mess. You've made it actually working and living. I really appreciate that.

And that's... That's exactly what Poppy wants to hear whole this time, after all of she's done. Not specifically from him, but as the words of the god of the Night those are twice powerful. She can do nothing but smile widely and dorkly, cause the agitation just leaves her speechless. And Branch probably doesn't notice it at all, cause he gets his head upon the sky again and sighs quietly.

\- And the colors... - He says in a completely different tone. - They are... stunning...

She sniffs, maybe a bit too loud, and dries her eyes from a few tears they have been filled. She looks upon the sky, smiling at the sunset she made the very first Day of her job.

Yeah. It is stunning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry, guys! I was so busy and I forgot about post the chapter in time!  
> I give you two chapters in that case. I wanted to post the together anyway, cause this one is too short  
> Enjoy!

After the event of the last Night and Day, the relation between Branch and Poppy changes a lot. Well, they aren't 'Best Friends Forever' or 'Walking-through-the-Earth-and-Making-World-A-Better-Place Buddies'. They aren't even friends yet. They just start talking. You could say that it's nothing (and where is the fluff you promised?), but you just cannot imagine how a lot it is for them. From ignoring each other and then a little bit of tension between them to short talks is such a big step. Maybe a little too big, cause the talks always go pretty awkward. They both want to talk, but neither knows what about. But Poppy is glad even with that sort of... relationship. The start isn't always easy, that what she has learned from her dad. Friendship needs time.

So meanwhile, when this problem looks kinda solved, the goddess starts thinking about a little new project. She cannot forget about the party, she still wants to show this pure fun to trolls. But Branch is right. It won't be easy. Trolls need to work and rest equally, they can't give one of those a miss. 

Guarding trolls during the Day and watching them hard-working, Poppy asks herself, if they really have to work that hard. She wonders if they can rest a bit, even if it's not the Night. It would charge their energy so they would put more effort into work later. And maybe it would save a bit of the Nighttime for the party!

So Poppy starts teaching trolls to rest a bit during the Day. But it's much more difficult than she expected. The biggest problem is there's no specific time during the Day that would be called "rest time". The Day is equivalent from sunrise to sunset. No distinctive points at all. So the goddess can't tell trolls to rest at the very same time, cause they don't know when this time is. They don't see or feel when is the middle of the Day, like gods do. Time sense is only Immortals' ability. So Poppy decides to make a visible sign that will show trolls when is time for rest, as she chooses, the middle of the Day.

Long time she thinks about what the sign would look like until she gets the idea. Standing on the hill, holding the Staff of the Light with both of her hands, she closes her eyes. She touches the Gold Sphere with her forehead and whispers a quiet ask. She asks for more gold light and more warmth on the Earth. Even if she takes care of the Staff, she can't rule or control it. The immortal source of light has its own life and will. All she can do is an asking and waiting for an answer. No one told her that it would work, but... She's sure it's worth trying. So she's standing on the hill whispering to the Staff, with her hands holding it tight, her eyes closed and her forehead touching the Gold Sphere. Hours past since the sunrise, but nothing's happening.

At the very middle of the Day, Poppy, tired and a bit disappointed, whispers desperately one last time:

\- Please, The Gold Sphere... For trolls walking through whole this world... Working hard from sunrise to the very end of the Day... Give them a sign of warmth and light... Sign to rest and reveal... All I want is... - Her voice cracks a bit with tiredness. - I want to give them only a bit of this pure joy the souls experience in the Underworld... I want to give them some of... Real happiness... If it's what I think it is... And to do this, I need to make them rest... Make them rest...

The pink goddess clicks her tongue and sighs heavily. Maybe it was a bad idea. Maybe this all was a bad idea...

But then, out of sudden, the Staff just explodes! Poppy turns her face away, cause the light is almost blinding and the warmth is almost burning! She tries to open her eyes slowly and she discovers that it doesn't hurt her at all. She can't hold the scream of joy. 

\- Thank you, thank you, thank you! - She squeals at the Sphere. She lifts it high to let the whole world see it. Everyone has to see it! 

The goddess runs across the whole Earth and makes the Day twice lighter and twice warmer than usual. Quickly the high temperature forces trolls to stop working. It is too hot to do anything. They have no choice but to stop and rest for a while.

Poppy is so proud of the effects. She stands back on the hill where she can see half of the world. Critters and trolls are lying everywhere and resting in half-sleep. She decides to call it "a nap" and the break in the work "Midday". She wants it to last an hour, but then out of nowhere the gray face she would never expect right now appears just in front of her face.

\- Make it stop - Riff says so sharply. She barely recognizes him. His always-friendly face is deadly serious. She freezes in shock under his cold eyes.

\- I said: make it stop! - He repeats firmly. It makes her tremble. 

She barely opens her mouth to explain that she has no idea how to control the Staff, even if it was her who made it glow so bright, but then the Gold Sphere just cools down, back to its regular light and temperature. Riff steps from her a bit, turning back. Now she can hear his deep long breathing. The god of Death is so upset. He hides his face in his hands and it makes Poppy so guilty.

\- I'm sorry - She says, holding the Staff to her heart.

\- No no no - Riff sniffs and turns back to her. His face is wet. - Nothing bad happened, luckily. It's just... You scared me a lot. - He dries his eye and clears his throat. - You made the temperature way too high. Please, don't do that again.

\- I-I won't - She throws from her lips.

\- Now - He says, trying to sound like he usually sounds. - I have job to do. Bye - He smiles at her, but it doesn't look honest.

And then Riff, the god of the Death, just walks away and disappears.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you didn't notice it, I write this fanfic really fast, so the language and descriptions are really simple xd I also wanted it to sound like mythology. Mythology usually doesn't stop on details.   
> Anyway, enjoy xd

\- Hey, what happened?

Poppy takes her head up and meets Branch's eyes.

\- Don't you know? I messed up with the Gold Sphere...

He looks at the Staff which is now in his hand. 

\- I don't see any difference.

\- Not now - The goddess crosses her arms on her chest and looks away. - During the Day. At Midday.

The god of the Night glances at her with a little surprise.

\- A Midday?

\- I made up this word - She explains. - It's short for "the middle of the Day".

\- Midday - Branch repeats it like he tastes the new word in his mouth. - Should I call the middle of the Night a "Midnight"?

\- Maybe - She mumbles and then goes back to her story: - The point is, I made the Sphere glow brighter and warmed twice more than usual, and... And then Riff appeared...

\- Oh - Branch frowns.

\- He said that nothing bad had happened, but still... - She sighs heavily. She sits and holds her legs, putting her chin on her knees. - I almost made a disaster. I would kill so many harmless creatures. It scared me a lot.

They stay like that for a while in the Silence.

\- But... Why did you do that?

She takes a deep long breath before she answers.

\- Trolls work hard the whole Day without any break. I wanted just to give them time to rest a bit... I thought that maybe if I got the Day so hot they just wouldn't do anything but a break... I know it sounds so stupid! It was stupid...

She hides her face in her knees. The guiltiness just hits her again. It's so overwhelming...

\- Why did you want them to rest during the Day?

Now Poppy feels a bit annoyed by his questions. "Why can't he just agree that it was stupid?" she thinks.

\- Wait, let me guess - She doesn't look at him, but after the sound of his voice she notices Branch sits down next to her. - You want to save some time of resting in the Night to throw a party, don't you?

She turns her sad, blue face at him.

\- You're never gonna agree, aren't you?

Branch looks down, thinking. It surprises her that he didn't say "no" at once. He leans the Staff against his arm and starts playing with grass, ribbing it and role in his hands. 

\- You know - He breaks the Silence with his calm voice. - I don't find this idea with getting the Midday hotter stupid. It was just... Rough-edged idea.

Poppy blinks, frowning. She has no clue how this would be an answer to her question.

\- What do you mean?

\- See, the Night is always cold. It's because I am, but that's no matter. The point is, the cold makes trolls and other creatures stop working, playing, dancing, and singing to look for a place to warm up. Caves, holes, dens, hollows, houses, pods. And when they find it they also find themselves tired and go rest. You did the same with the Day. Instead of cold, you give creatures warmth. But they couldn't hide from it, cause you put it the warmth and the light everywhere. They had no place to rest safely.

The goddess frowns. He's right, she didn't think about it that way.

\- But I can't switch off the Light in some spots on the Earth - She points out.

\- But... Maybe I can?

Their eyes meet.

\- You... You can? - Poppy can't believe in it.

\- I don't know - Branch stares at her in a way she can't understand. She wonders if she has something on her cheeks. But he goes on: - But I can try. I'm the god of the Night after all.

Poppy smiles widely. Her squeezed heart now beats free in relief. She stands up, cause it is time for her to leave and rest. After this long Day, she really needs it.

\- It's really nice of you that you want to help me! - She beams so politely. - I understand you'll visit me tomorrow at Midday, won't you?

\- Wait - Branch stands up. - Can you stay just a little bit longer?

-Thanks, but I feel too tired for a walk tonight...

\- No! I mean... It won't be a walk. - He feels pretty awkward. - I want to show you something...

She glances at him with curiosity. After the walk of those red-letter Night and Day, they haven't been doing much together. They just talk twice the cycle time, every time a bit less awkwardly and a bit longer. Whatever Branch wants to show her, she sees it as another little tiny step to her beautiful vision of two good partners, maybe best friends even, Day and Night, Light and Dark, working together in such perfect harmony. So no matter how tired she is right now, she is absolutely in.

\- You know... - The voice of Branch wakes her up from the dreaming. - Never mind. It's just stupid and you're tired...

\- No! - Poppy interrupts him. - No no no no no! You can't just make me so curious and then walk away! I want to see the thing! Show me! Show me the thing!

She expects him to chuckle or something. At least look amused, even a bit. She has never seen his smile or heard his laugh, and this time it doesn't change as well. The gray lips just throw brief "ok" and the god of the Night just turns and walks away. As always. Poppy follows him promising herself that one Day (or Night) she will make him smile. Or laugh. Friends usually laugh a lot. They can't be friends without him laughing!

After a short walk, Branch stops on a very regular field with a very simple lake, around by very normal woods. There is nothing unusual, nothing that someone would be amazed by and want to share with a friend. The goddess feels pretty tired of being surprised.

\- So... What is the thing you wanted to show me? - She looks around once again, but nothing extraordinary happened.

\- Well, you won't like it - Branch says, sitting down in the grass. - But you have to sit down and be silent.

Poppy sighs loudly. She sits down next to him and leans her head against her hand. 

\- Is it another kind of Silence you've just discovered? - She whispers ironically.

\- Maybe 

He looks really focused. His ears move gently as if they're listening out for something. It makes Poppy cock her ears. She concentrates so much, that when she already hears a sound, she almost jumps.

The sound is low and chattering. Nothing like the goddess ever hear. At first, it is only one, single bass voice, singing on and on two notes. Then, one by one, other voices join in until they make a choir. Poppy keeps her head up, her lifted ears are looking for the source of it. Branch touches gently her arm to get her attention and points at the lake. And then she sees them. The frogs. Their tummies bounce up and down. It is them who are singing. The frogs.

And then another sound comes from nowhere. Soft scrape, like from a hundred violins, fills the field around. Poppy gets down to the grass and she notices a few little green creatures with long thin like strings legs. Bugs rub them together making the high sound.

\- Wow - She gasps quietly to not jam a concert.

\- Milton called them grasshoppers - Branch says.

\- You... - Her voice cracks in disbelief at the words she wants to say. - You asked him for creating them? And to teach frogs how to sing? You... You like the...?

\- No - Branch throws, but it doesn't sound firm. - I mean, yes, I asked him for that things, but no, I still don't like the noise of the Day. - He huffs and looks away. - It's too loud. I just... I... - He sighs and mumbles quietly. - I like the sound of music...

Poppy has already opened widely mouth. Now her lips start to slowly form into a big, sunny grin.

\- Stop it - He looks at her in reproof.

\- What? - She frowns.

\- You just laugh at me.

\- No! Why would I?

Branch leans the Staff against his shoulder and starts playing with the grass. He avoids eye contact and twists his face.

\- It's not like the music of the Day. - He explains calmly, but with a note of disappointment. - Or in the Palace, you came from. Or the music that is played in Underworld. I don't even know if I can call it music... It's like you said, another kind of Silence...

It makes her frown even more.

\- Branch.

After a while of hesitation, he looks into her eyes.

\- You made it. Do you like it? - She asks.

He blinks and frowns a bit. He stops playing with the grass. He gets his head up and takes a long look at the field, the lake, the frogs singing low, the grasshoppers near his foot...

\- Yeah. 

\- So what are you worried about?

He thinks a while. Then he blinks, a bit surprised. His face slightly frowns and melts by turns a few times like he's arguing with himself in his mind. Finally, he glances at her and says with an amused voice:

\- Now... Now I don't know.

And the corner of his lips lifts a bit into a little smile. Poppy can't hold it anymore and collapses a laugh. Branch looks away, shaking his head with disapproval, but his smile gets even wider. And Poppy is still giggling, she doesn't know if it's because of the god's hilarious reaction to her question or it's because she is so glad to see him smiling.

\- You know - She says, finally stop laughing. - I like the music you made a lot. It has a vibe.

\- You think?

\- Yeah, it's much softer and sounder. Even if it's not that catchy.

Branch blows a raspberry, making Poppy giggle again.

And then she gives a start at the loud, low sound from the woods behind her. 

\- Well, that was an owl - Branch explains politely. But he can't hold a smirk seeing Poppy's offended face.

\- How many critters did you and Milton teach to sing at the Night? I thought the frogs and the grasshoppers were all. - Now she is looking around, keeping her eyes on the ball.

\- Owls, wolfs, cats, dogs - He counts, looking up at the sky. - Bats, cicadas...

\- Bats? - She lifts her eyebrow.

\- They squeal quietly. They're blind, but Milton found out that they could see with the sound. And now they can fly, you even don't know how fast.

\- How can they see with the sound? - She disbelieves.

\- I don't know. It's Milton's invention. Ask him, he's the critters expert.

\- I didn't know you talk with the others - Poppy notices out loud.

\- Not much - Branch twists his face. - Only with Milton and Riff. Sometimes with Trollazart, you know, he's the god of the Weather, so sometimes I have to.

\- But to make this... Night music - She points to the area around them with her hand, smiling at the concert of gentle sounds. - You had to talk with Suki.

\- Yeah, I had to... - He rolls his eyes. - It was hard to make her understand what kind of music I wanted to. As you noticed, I don't like social interaction between Immortals... You're the only person I talk with regularly.

\- You have no choice.

\- Yeah, I have no choice.

And after a minute of being silent and pretending that it wasn't a joke, Poppy collapses a chuckle. It makes Branch look away and hide his face with his hand, to not laugh. The goddess giggles.

\- And what about you? - The grey god tries to change the topic, but he can't stop a smile on his lips. He clears his throat. It makes Poppy a bit curious why he doesn't want to laugh. - You know so many gods and goddesses. I'm sure you don't need me to talk.

\- Honestly? I don't - She takes a deep breath, killing the last will of a laugh. - I mean, sure, I know many of them and I have many friends among them, but I don't talk as much as you think I do. Sometimes I meet Holly, sometimes I talk with Trollazart, so many Immortals walk through the Earth during the Day and I always meet someone. But I don't have any specific person I talk with about everything. Since last year, I used to talk a lot with my dad, but now I didn't see him for a while. Maybe I'll see him at the Fest.

Branch stares at her pretty curious and surprised, so she overtakes his question.

\- I just really enjoy my job - She explains, looking down and smiling slightly at herself. - I mean, taking care of trolls and creatures, flora and fauna, but most trolls. I care about them so much. I want to give all I have, all I can.

Her smile melts. She falls into a reverie, which makes her look a bit sad.

\- Sometimes I feel we can give them more, but... I really don't know what else they would need.

The goddess is looking down mindlessly. The frogs' and grasshoppers' song keeps her in reverie for a long while. The thought makes her feel a bit helpless. She sighs heavily, the tiredness falls at her slowly. She looks up at Branch and meets his eyes.

\- Wh-what?

He blinks quickly, looking away.

\- N-nothing, it's just... Like you read in my mind...

They glance at each other. A bit surprised, a bit amazed, a bit amused. Poppy wants to smile, but a big, loud yawn interrupts her.

\- You have to rest for tomorrow - Branch says. - I shouldn't keep you here for so long.

\- Stop being ridiculous - She chuckles. - I like spending time with you.

\- You're just too kind - He smirks and starts getting up.

\- No, I...

But then she stops, hearing a nice sound nearby one of her ears. She freezes and starts looking around.

\- What was that?

\- What? - The god says with a blank face. - I didn't hear anything but frogs and grasshoppers. You had to mishear something.

But Poppy stands very still, listening out.

\- I still hear it nearby...

\- Come on, Poppy, you have to go...

\- Ha! - She points at him. - You try to hide something from me!

\- No - He answers blankly. 

It only makes her sure about that. And now she can hear the sound clearly. It's much different than the field's concert, it's much more melodic. She starts following it, walking to the woods.

\- No, Poppy! - Branch runs after her. - Come back!

But she just gets faster. It amuses her that he's chasing her. But she doesn't have to go far to find the source of the sound. Some little critters fly around a big flowering shrub. Poppy steps closer and stops her face just a few centimeters before the white cup. A tiny bird with colorful feathers drinks from the flower, making with his wings a soft sound, almost like a melody.

\- It's birds - The goddess whispers fascinated, which scares the bird that it flies away. - And they're humming!

\- Yeah, they are called Hummingbirds - She hears quietly mumble behind her. She turns around to show Branch her amazed face.

\- Why did you want to hide them from me? - Big smile doesn't leave her lips.

\- It's just so weird - He rubs his neck awkwardly. - That I like you humming so much that I asked Milton and Suki for birds humming like you...

\- It's... It's... Oh my Father - She can't take her eyes from the little critters flying from flower to flower. She almost holds her breath. - They are so wonderful! So beautiful and... Stunning, They are just stunning. The next time you will have "a weird idea", you have to show me - She adds, looking at him.

Branch chuckles and it makes her smile again. She hasn't known this side of him before and never expected from him what she heard and saw tonight. And she has to say, she takes to him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I don't describe their outfits and looks on purpose. I just don't want to focus on those, they are not an important part of the story, besides the Staff and Branch's grey capote. But I want to draw something and maybe one day I will xD Enjoy new chapter

Poppy has to say, even doing it a thousand times, she never is less amazed by The Light slowly beaming from the Gold Sphere and filling the sky with warm, pleasant colors she made for it - red, orange, pink, purple, yellow... The goddess of the Day is really proud of sunrise.

Birds start singing lovely serenades for her taking care of Earth. She begins calmly opening cups of flowers on the fields, and the soft sound of the god's in the dark hoodie steps follow her in polite Silence.

\- So... What is your plan? - Poppy asks, doesn't stop her duty.

\- I will be trying whatever I can - Branch announces.

Pink eyes turn to the black space in the hoodie and spark with amusement.

\- You have no plan!

\- You don't understand - The god says. - My plan is to improvise.

Poppy giggles and smiles at him. But she can't see his face under the darkness of his hoodie. She knows he doesn't like the light, but... She wishes to see his smile. He can do it in such a subtle, calming way.

\- I will follow you thinking and trying things - He adds. - Just ignore me.

\- Okie - Poppy shrugs her shoulders airily. - I will pretend that I won't see a wraith in the big dark capote with a hoodie drifting after me across the world.

A loud sound of Branch's chuckle makes her satisfied and proud of her joke. She can't stop herself but smirks dorkly while turning back to the flower she was opening.

The goddess of the Day is always happy doing her job. But turning back from time to time and seeing the dark silhouette who's watching critters, plants, and trolls living their lives below the light of the Staff, is a bit nicer than walking alone through the Earth. Poppy likes to stop and watch at Branch, as he stands a few steps behind her staring at the tree like on something really interesting or just walks carefully through some trolls' village, trying to not step on anybody. He is so gentle when he touches oak leaves or puts a hand on the rough bark. He acts like he sees a living world for the very first time.

Poppy is going to give wheat a bit of gold color and let them fully ripen when she hears a familiar voice.

\- Yall, Poppy! - Holly yells at her and waves a hand at the other side of the field. Then she starts galloping to come up to her.

\- Holy! - Poppy beams with joy seeing her friend. - I haven't seen you for a while! Where have you been?

\- Doing my stuff, yall! - The goddess of Hospitality smiles widely. - I have my hands full a week before the Fest! I want to be sure that every troll will be prepared for that Day!

\- Oh girl, I can't wait for the Fest!

\- So can't I! I was waiting the whole year... Have you prepared something special?

Poppy smirks.

\- I'll blow everyone's minds.

\- But you know you can present only one thing?

Holly giggles at Poppy's surprised face.

\- I didn't know!

\- Don't worry, yall! You have the whole week to choose one thing.

\- You're right, but... It still sounds hard for me... How do I suppose to choose only one!

\- Sh! - Holy interrupts her sharply with upset on her face. The pink goddess freezes. They stand like that for a while.

\- What's wrong? - Poppy whispers.

\- Behind you.

\- What is it?

Holy stares at something behind Poppy's back for a long, frightening moment, until she says with the very serious tone:

\- It's Branch.

Poppy breathes a sigh of relief and then giggles.

\- You're afraid of Branch?

Holy looks at her like at the idiot.

\- And you're not?

\- Of course, I'm not! - She puts her hands on her lips. - He's my friend!

Now it's Holly who collapses a giggle.

\- You're kidding!

\- No, I don't! - She throws, a bit exclaimed. - He's a really nice guy! You even... You know what? I show you!

Poppy grabs Holly's wrist and leads her to the dark grey capote. Holly walks with her willingly, but with a very visible upset on her face.

\- Poppy, I'm not sure if that...

\- Branch! - The pink goddess screams to make the black hoodie hole turn to them. He stands under the big oak and waits patiently for Poppy to come.

\- Branch, meet Holly - She points at the orange skin goddess who can't hide her awkwardness right now. - She's...

\- The goddess of Hospitality - Branch interrupts her with his calm voice. He nods to Holly politely. He adds: - Poppy, I know every Immortal.

\- But not personally! - She beams. She ignores his heavy sigh and turns at Holy. - Holly, this is Branch!

Holly forces herself to grin, but the black shadow from the hoodie makes her uncomfortable the whole time.

\- Nice to meet you! - She throws.

\- It doesn't look like a nice experience for you.

\- Branch!

\- I'm just saying - He turns to Poppy. - You put her in a really uncomfortable situation.

\- I just wanted to show that you aren't scary!

\- But Poppy, I am scary.

The loud, sudden giggle interrupts them. They both look at the orange skin goddess feeling pretty confused.

\- Yall, I'm sorry - Holly giggles. - But you said it in a really calm way. - She puts her hand on her hips and smiles, this time it doesn't look forced. - You are not scary! Yall, I don't know why I thought you would bite me or something.

\- Maybe because I can. - Branch says blankly.

Girls look at him with surprise.

\- No no no! - He shows hands in the peace offering. - It was a joke, I swear I'm not a dog!

Goddess laugh.

\- Yall! So whatcha doin' here at the Day? - Holly asks, now fully confident.

\- He helps me! - Poppy beams. - It's a big plan!

\- What's the plan?

\- I was up to make it - Branch murmurs.

\- Okay, so maybe I shouldn't bother you - Holly chuckles. - I also have a lot of stuff to do before the Fest. Good luck with your plan!

\- See you at the Fest, Holy! - Poppy waves after her galloping away.

\- I told you I don't like talking with others - Branch points out with such a cold tone. She looks at him with surprise.

\- But she got to you.

But he just groans out and turns back to the oak. He starts doing something near its roots, getting down on one knee. His upsetting is visible for Poppy, but she isn't sure what to do with it. She steps to him and sits down nearby. She leans the Staff against her shoulder like he does when he sits with it.

\- You're angry? - She asks shyly.

He ignores her for a while and when she starts thinking he would never answer, he sighs.

\- It was awkward and unnecessary.

The goddess says nothing. She just doesn't know what. It's understandable for her that it's weird to talk to others when almost everybody finds him weird or scary. But she has no solution or advice for that. She wanted good for him and she doesn't think she did the wrong thing this time. It was just a little try to socialize Branch and it went kinda awkward, but it was okay. 

She sits for a while like thinking and enjoying the moment. It is a nice, warm summer Day. Trollazart makes today a pleasant breeze. Above them birds are jumping from twig to twig, playing and singing softly. Branch stops doing his thing and sits next to her. After a while, he sighs again.

\- And my joke was so stupid...

Poppy laughs softly.

\- You really scared us then!

\- I know...

She collapses a giggle once again. She wishes she can see if he's amused too.

\- About the Midday... I think I have an idea...

\- Wow, you have?! - Poppy beams at him with the whole sunshine energy she has.

\- I guess... - His voice sounds unsure. - I think I could make shadows like in my hoodie to make colder places to rest for creatures.

\- You could? - The pink goddess is all curiosity. - How?

He hesitates for a while.

\- Stealing the Light.

She opens her eyes with shock.

\- Like this.

Branch takes a single leaf from his capote and lifts it to let Poppy see. He grabs the leaf with his other hand and moves through it like he strips something off it. And then he gets the leaf down, stopping a few inches above the ground. Poppy opens her mouth with disbelief. Under the leaf, there is no light. Just a round, grey spot in the shape of the leaf. And then Branch shows her his other hand. He holds between two fingers a little tiny ball of the Light, shining bright and vivid. And... Blue? She isn't sure, but it looks like the tiny ball shines blue, or Branch's fingers are blue. But both the things sound weird. Light is while. The god of the Night is grey. She looks at his fingers overanalyzing the blue color on them.

\- So that's how the Night works? - She asks, trying to ignore the blue color. - You steal the Light?

\- No - Branch starts playing with a tiny ball, rolling it between his fingers. - I know as much about the Staff and the Sphere as you. I just grab it

\- So... - Poppy tries to process the information she gets. - If you take the Light from the plants, you never put it back?

\- It wouldn't have any sense if I put it back - He points out. - Cause I'm supposed to make places for rest, right? I'll do it once or forever, but the process is reversible. Besides that, I will take the Light only from one side of things. See? 

Branch starts moving the oak leaf in different directions and the shadow is always on the other side. Under the leaf. He gives the leaf to Poppy and she plays with it. Indeed, it works as he said. She is curious and amazed.

\- What will you do with the Light if you're not going to put it back?

\- Umm... - He hesitates a bit. Then he clears his throat. - Can I keep it?

The goddess of the Day looks at the god of the Night. As the guard of the Light, she is responsible for It. Should she keep It always in the Gold Sphere? Or maybe she shares this responsibility with Branch? Are there any rules of sharing the Light with other Immortals? Why doesn't anybody tell her? She isn't sure, but... She guesses, the Light is as much her as Branch's. And even if not, she trusts him.

\- It's ours - She smiles at him. - But it's nice of you that you asked. I'm sure it will be in the right hands.

Poppy can't see it, but she feels it, she feels that he is staring at her. She bites her tongue to not ask what he wants to keep it for. He won't answer and she wants to show him her trust. 

\- Thanks - The god says so softly, with all the gratefulness he has, and it makes Poppy smile so dorkly. He stands up like he's ready for the hardest work of his life, and he views the horizon full of glory, sunny Light, the Light so vivid that makes everything vibrate from a plethora of life energy. His Silence speaks from him. He is overthinking.

\- You start? 

\- I don't know where I should start first - He admits.

\- Well, maybe from this oak - She puts her hand on the bark. But he is still standing and thinking, even if now he's staring at the tree instead of the horizon.

\- Ok, what's wrong. - She asks in an order to explain.

Inhale. Really long, really deep inhale. 

\- Can you leave me alone with that? - He asks oddly shyly.

\- Why? I want to see like you steal the Light.

\- It's kinda uncomfortable when you stare at me working.

\- When we walk during the Night you never mind when I follow you...

\- But it's a Day and I haven't got a sack!

Poppy frowns.

\- You know what? - Branch throws a sudden strong tone. - Never mind! That was a weird thought... I mean! Do what you do! Whatever. It's fine.

And then sharp and nervous he takes his hoodie off, and quickly like something is chasing him he unclips the silver buckle in the shape of the sickle, getting off his big grey capote, and the first time she sees him in all of his deictic glory, in the Light of the Day.

When Branch is folding his capote, turning it into a big sack to collect the stolen Light, he tries nervously avoiding her sight, cause she is staring at him with her eyes fully opened and her mouth frozen in awe. Her mind just can't process what she sees. 

Branch.

Is.

_ Blue. _

He is blue. He is all blue! The bright, soft azure, the calm shade of the ocean, the joyful light color of the bluebird. And his vivid sapphire eyes looking shyly away from her, and his deep cobalt hair shining with a hidden navy tone. He wears a simple leather shirt and very simple black pants, which highlights his strong, supple silhouette. All those things weren't visible either during the Night and neither during the Day, when he never walked without his hoodie on his head. And Poppy can't understand why he was hiding it this whole time. She knows it makes him uncomfortable, but she just can't stop staring at him. She can't stop adoring him.

Meanwhile, Branch, trying to ignore her existence, grabs all the Light around the oak and puts It into the provisionally made with his capote sack. Now under the tree is a pleasantly cold shadow, birds start singing cheerfully to celebrate refreshment. Their happy twitters fill Branch with pride and the smile light shows on his face. He turns to Poppy with it, and even if he drops it really quickly, the goddess sees it and feels her heart beats faster for no reason and feels her chicks get warmer and turn red, and feels her lips forming into a soft little smile she's never done, and this whole her body overreaction makes her sudden turn all shy and looks away, fluttering her eyelashes.

Branch clears his throat.

\- What do you think? - He points at the oak, trying to pretend that everything else is normal as usual.

She looks up at him, cause she is still sitting, and then she looks around the tree. The nice breeze flows through her hair and makes leaves rustle. It is quieter here now, darker and calmer. It is like a really pleasant place to hide from the hard parts of life.

\- It's lovely - Poppy says much calmer and softer than usual, and she has no clue why. She just said it like that. Accidentally.

\- It looks like you added a bit of the Night into the Day - She continues with a much normal voice.

Branch chuckles slightly and the light smile stays on his face. It is so nice to see him like that. With full of body language, poise, and gestures, with his bright blue face filled with nighly smile, with his vivid sapphire eyes looking dreamily at the world he takes care of.

He looks so genuine and alive.

\- Are you coming with me?

His voice wakes her up from the thoughts. He feels much more comfortable and confident. Maybe a bit of working calmed him down, or maybe he saw that she liked him with his blue shades. Cause she likes him like that. She wishes he would never wear the capote and hoodie again.

Poppy jumps up from the ground and beams at him sunshiny.

\- Of course, I'm coming!


	7. Chapter 7

Poppy is happy. Thrilled almost. There're so many reasons to be happy right now. Well, there are actually three of them.

So the first one is the Day. This Day. Everything is ready, nice shadows lie under every tree, and inside houses are pleasant coldness, so trolls and other critters have a place to rest safely. Everything is ready for Midday, the goddess is waiting only for the hour. Finally, her plan will work, trolls will take a break from hardworking and save an hour, maybe more, so one Night, maybe one Night, Branch will agree to teach trolls how to throw a party!

The second reason is the Fest. It's only three days to that special event when Immortals (every single one of them!) meet to celebrate their work in the previous year and Poppy is looking forward to it! She can't wait to see her father and all of her friends in one place! And she can't wait to take part in the Sharing! It's the very first time she can join in as a full goddess and tell everyone what she made this year! Poppy is excited every time she thinks about it.

And the third reason is something that makes her heart jump happily and forces her lips to smile wider than she needs to. Branch, the god of the Night, is here with her, walking arm to arm with her, with his hoodie taken off, with his calm sapphire sight and long navy hair moving by the light wind. It is so good to have someone by her side and it is so good to see his face and know if he's smiling or frowning. Poppy still can't get why she can't look into his blue eyes without her heart beating faster and her chicks getting warm. She was thinking about it the whole Night, but she has no idea why. She just decided to look at his nose instead when they talk or anywhere else but not into his eyes. It would look weird, but it's the only way she can focus on the talk right now. But she's going to fix that. She can fix everything, so does herself. Right?

\- I still don't understand the way you control the Staff - Branch's calm voice brings her back to reality. - You said... You asked the Staff for more light?

\- Yes, roughly speaking - The goddess shrugges her shoulders. - It was more like 'begging' than 'controlling'. 

\- So how can you be sure that you can do it once again?

\- I'm not.

Branch looks at her with his eyebrow lifted.

\- My plan is to improvise - She smirks at him.

The god chuckles. And she finds herself staring a few seconds too long at his light smile. She looks away and clears her throat.

\- Well, let's find out if this would work - She points at the hill. She starts running upon, feeling so much energy in her body. She can't wait, she can't wait, she can't wait! She is panting with excitement when she digs the Staff in the hill. Is everything ready? Is this the right time? Is this already Midday? She doesn't know what she should wait for. She can start it, right?

The goddess of the Day turns to the god of the Night. He has already his hoodie on his head, expecting the explosion of the Light, and she can't see his face again. But he nods to encourage her. Poppy takes a deep breath. Why is she so stressed now?

She looks around at the whole Earth below her. Trolls are working in the fields or in their villages, critters are walking around lazily eating something or playing with others. The world is in peace. 

Poppy touches the Gold Sphere with her forehead and closes her eyes. The whispering ask is falling from her lips. Her hands are trembling slightly when she is speaking words from her heart. She says it and then gets silent, waiting. Her thoughts freeze. Her whole body freezes. There is nothing but her calm breath, her hands on the Staff, and her forehead on the Sphere. She's waiting.

The Silence is that deep that Poppy jumps sharply at Branch's quiet gasp.

She looks at the Staff and it is so bright! She did it! She did it again! She looks around so upset, worrying about the creatures. But they are sitting or lying safely in the trees' and houses' shadows, enjoying the break, napping, or talking with each other. Only then Poppy let herself squeal happily with joy.

\- You did it - She hears Branch's voice behind her. She turns to him with a huge grin on her face.

\- No, WE did it! - She beams, lifting the Staff of the Light in her hand. - I can't wait to tell it to everyone on the Sharing!

\- Woah, wait - The god shows his hands in the peace offering gesture. - You made it and you will tell it. I'm staying here.

She drops her smile and her arms with surprise.

\- What?

Branch sighs heavily and clicks this tongue.

\- I don't go to the Fest.

\- Why?

\- I don't like the Fest.

\- Why!?

\- Because - His voice is getting angrier and angrier. - I don't. I enjoy staying on the Earth.

\- But... The Fest is so cool! I always wanted to go there. There will be everybody! It's the only moment in the year when every Immortal arrives in one the Palace of Harmony to see each other and celebrate and...

\- Besides me. - He interrupts her firmly.

She can't hold her disbelief! How someone... How anyone could not like the Fest? The shadow of his hoodie doesn't let Poppy see his face, but she is sure that Branch is almost mad at her right now for still continuing the topic and she really can't understand him.

\- Please, come with me! - She tries to encourage him. - It will be fun! If you never were...

\- I was twice.

\- So what you don't like about the Fest then?

\- Poppy, I just don't want to go to the Fest. How hard is that to understand?

\- So hard!

\- So I don't want to talk about it anymore! - He throws, turning back, and starts walking away.

And for some reason, it reminds Poppy about that awkward talk with Holly. The orange goddess was scared of Branch and he thought it was absolutely normal. And it reminds her about Barb's warning in the Immortals' Hall. That she joked about teamwork with him would be a really hard part of Poppy's job. And it reminds her about him patiently greeting her day by day, without her noticing, and that he thought that she hated him.

Of course the dark, scary god of the Night doesn't want to go on the Fest, doesn't want to walk through the crowd of Immortals like the stranger, like the grey silent ghost among the loud colorful gods. Of course, he wants to stay on the Earth.

Poppy runs after him and when she catches him up, she throws at him, panting:

\- If you stay, so will I!

\- No - He says without stopping or even slowing down. - You dreamed about the Fest. Don't force herself to stay.

\- I don't force myself! I just don't want you to be alone here.

\- But I want to be alone.

\- Nobody wants to be alone!

\- But I am the Nobody.

\- You are not! You are the Great God of the Night! The world needs you! Trolls need you and the Immortals need you!

\- But I don't need them, I don't care.

\- Yes, you care! You care more than anybody about trolls! Immortals just don't know about it, but they have to know!

\- Why can't you just leave me alone!

Branch stops sharply. Really sharply. That sharp that Poppy makes a few more steps until she notices. She turns to him. She stands straightly and announces as confident as she can:

\- Because you are my friend.

The Silence, deep and heavy, falls between them. For a really long moment, nothing is happening. Poppy melts a bit and frowns. Branch doesn't move at all. Even the slightest. The shadow of his hoodie is as dark as always.

\- Branch? - She asks unsurely, but the answer doesn't come. She makes a few little shy steps and gets closer to him. But he stands very still. Zero reaction. When she is really close to him, she gets her hand up a bit, but then stops. After a little hesitation, she grabs the edge of his hoodie and takes it off his head.

His sapphire eyes are looking shyly down. On his blue chicks, tears are streaming quietly as like they don't want to be noticed. He gulps and sniffs.

\- Poppy... - He tries to say, but his lips start shaking. He bites them. Tears start streaming more, so he closes his eyes. He breathes slowly and deeply to calm himself.

But the emotions are overwhelming. There are too many of them at the same time. There is a sadness, cause Branch feels so lonely, he always does. There is helplessness, cause he has never known what to do to not feel that, and cause he can't stop the tears from streaming and lips from shaking. There is guilt, cause he feels that this all is only his fault. And also a pity, cause of Poppy, cause she tries, oh she tries so hard, but she just can't understand him, she has never felt so lonely, she has never felt lonely at all, but she tries, she tries...

Suddenly, Branch feels something different. It is a warmth. A gentle, soft touch of warmth on his wet cold chick. He blinks. A small, pink hand on his face, a warm, gentle touch of the little fingers. He can't see anything more, his vision is too blurred. So he closes his eyes again, and let the hand dry his chick.

Poppy's touch is so warm, so nice. He is melting with every second. His breath calms down. The overwhelming thoughts and crippling emotions slowly fly away somewhere, leaving his mind clear and silent. He feels more and more warmth, now not only on his face but also on his chest, where his heart beats fast, so fast, why does it beat so fast?

Her melody voice echoes in his head. "Because you are my friend", she said. How could he feel lonely with her still crossing roads with him? Oh no, she never leaves him alone, he never kicks her out from his life anymore. And it is such a relief like a hundred of thousands of tones falls from his shoulders. Like he finally can stand straight.

It is just a moment, maybe a minute or two, and the hand leaves his chick, the hand leaves it, but the warmth stays, and it feels so nice, it feels so pleasant, so calming and hopeful...

Branch finally opens his eyes and looks at the goddess. Their eyes meet and Poppy smiles slightly as if she asks him if everything is okay. And he glances at her and he feels so okay. As like he has never felt ok before. For the first time in his life, yes, he is okay.

\- Thank you - He whispers, tries to not sound too pitifully, but of course, he sounds like that. He clears his throat and staring at her little smile he couldn't hold his lips from smiling anymore. - For not leave me alone

And it makes her smile get wider and wider and wider, and only Poppy can smile this wide and not tear her face.

\- You are my friend, aren't you? - She says.

He nods a few times and smiles wider than he usually dares to do.

\- I am.

She glances at him with her sparkling joyful eyes and the sunniest smile, she may as well shine the whole world instead of the Gold Sphere.

\- So - She starts in a kinda different tone. - What are we going to do in three days from now on?

\- We are going on the Fest - Branch answers without the slightest hesitation.

Poppy gasps loudly in shock.

\- Really??

\- If you're not gonna introduce me to everyone...

The goddess squeals and jumps happily.

\- And you let me keep my hoodie - He adds, just in case.

She doesn't stop giggling, while she is jumping and dancing around the field. Then she runs to him and stops just in front of him.

\- Okay! - She announces, and then she adds: - Thank you!

Branch chuckles. How can he be scared of the Fest if Poppy is gonna be with him there?


End file.
